massively formative for me as a teenager, and this shit holds up really well, too. perhaps a bit too…flattering of a biopic, but Dian Fossey was amazing so who cares if you wanna kiss her posthumous ass a bit?
FUCK YES.
the hand of god hath clearly touched Chris Nolan.
both a parody of zombie movies, AND an ardent homage to them. it’s hilarious, and scary, and touching, and when was the last time you felt all those emotions in one fucking movie?! just fucking genius.
i literally never get tired of watching this movie. clearly a “girl movie”, but excellently done and it actually has half a brain. John Hannah would have to make it to The Mummy 17: Curse of the Clown Factory for my love to dim.
very taut and interesting, not too simple yet not too thick. a bit, well…french, but a really terrific thriller. and who knew Kristin Scott Thomas spoke french?!
acting was good, Saoirse Ronan is terrific and her american accent is as good as her english. pretty sets.
that said, i know i brought it on myself by reading the book, but SRSLY, giant mutant animals?! conspiracy subplot?! WTF?! it was like the screenwriter had his 8-year-old read the book and tell him about it in 10 minutes or less, then made up the rest. the made-up crap doesn’t even make SENSE, and was so counter to the core of the story. clearly whoever adapted this completely did not get the book.
Ed Harris directed, acted, and co-wrote the screenplay – he needs to NEVER DO THAT AGAIN. wooden, awkward dialog, TERRIBLE cinematography (shot like a backlot TV movie) with incongruous, repetitive music. Viggo Mortensen is like a fresh peach blossom at the top of a small turd. seriously, Viggo is a joy to watch, and he did so much with so little. Renee Zellweger did nothing to flesh out her one dimensional role, which i’m going to blame on Director Ed. Jeremy Irons is incongruous and ineffectual here, which is a goddamn shame. this whole movie was a waste of time and talent that didn’t even try hard enough to be truly shitty.
not earth-shakingly hilarious, but funny and cute enough to be worth it (much like Pineapple Express). did i miss the memo, or is Paul Rudd totally hot all of a sudden? the little boy in this is a major scene-stealer and provides the best laughs. i’m normally not a fan of Stifler, but he manages to make his eyes focus once or twice here, so kudos on that. McLovin is surprisingly affecting, like in a “real” acting kind of way, too.
SO RAD. seriously, rent this shit! right away! i was on the edge of my seat the whole time. the editing is phenomenal, and the mix of media they use is so well done. fascinating and actually pretty funny, too.
a helluva thing, this is. realistic and low-key, and yet somehow totally fascinating, trying to figure out who these people are and how they got that way. i’m not sure how it avoids being heavy and overwrought (which is what i thought it would be like), but it does. literally my only complaint is the guy playing Rachel’s fiance. he was totally blank and dull and i couldn’t figure out what Rosemarie DeWitt was supposed to see in him.